How much weight is realistic and healthy to lose weekly? A good goal is to lose 0.5-1 pound per week below 30% body fat. If above 30% body fat you can potentially lose 1-2 pounds per week. There are two options for weight loss.
You can choose a slower weight loss keeping more muscle mass at a lower body fat percentage resulting in a better fat-to-muscle ratio when you’re at your goal weight looking more muscular and feeling stronger. The other option is you can do an aggressive fat loss resulting in losing some muscle but losing fat quicker, resulting in a worse fat-to-muscle ratio when you’re at your goal weight looking less muscular and less strong. This happens because, in a severe caloric deficit, your body may break down muscle tissue for energy, or allow muscle tissue to atrophy away to reduce your body’s resting metabolic rate because muscle is extremely expensive calorically to maintain compared to fat.
In other words, your body may actually choose to keep the fat on your body over keeping muscle depending on how severe the caloric deficit is. That's why it's important to find your resting metabolic rate so you can find a sweet spot between enough calories to function well in work, workouts, and recovery but not enough to hold on to your fat. Logically if you’re dieting improperly by starving yourself the body will get rid of muscle and fat but you’ll lose so much muscle in relation to fat you’ll be at the same body fat percentage at a lower weight which is not what we want. We want to be at a lower body fat percentage with more muscle, and less fat, also known as a better fat-to-muscle ratio. In medical terms body fat percentage. Don’t overthink it. Do what you need for your health, not what you want. Then once you’re healthy you can do what you want.
Stop eating with your taste buds! Eat with your mind! Every meal should have a reason, I’m repairing my body, I’m fueling the body to train, I’m eating for pleasure, I’m eating to maintain my body and not eat under or overeat. Pay attention to what, when, and why you eat. Learn your fuel system and change it to change your body.
Have a deep appreciation for food. Take pleasure in eating healthy meals. If you can, make eating social. Life is always better with friends and the community. Stick to your commitments to yourself and eat for them. Meal prep one to three times per week. Not only is this substantially more cost-efficient than eating out but it’s also healthier.
Keep in mind your age, experience level, the amount of discipline in your goals, and your unique genetics will affect the timeline of achievement of your goals. When I started training I knew it would take years to reach my goals. Do not have such high expectations you are disappointed by the great results you earned. That is a pitfall detrimental to your psyche.
